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Anyone want a good coffee and a lovely place to be with their new baby? Great place to meet other mums and if you are on maternity leave waiting for your baby's appearance why not join us? This week there will be an NCT AN and PN Leader there as well as the chair of the local branch of the NCT: Dulwich and District. See you there? From 10.30-12.00

10.30-12.00 come and join us if you have a young baby or are pregnant and want to meet other new parents. Lovely group, open to all, NCT AN and PN leader will be there and the Chair of the local NCT branch: Dulwich and District is coming along to meet everyone. Hope to see you.

There are spaces on my evening NCT Essentials antenatal course which starts on July 23rd in SE5. 7.15-9.15pm for 5 weeks and then a reunion at a later date. Try looking on the NCT course finder: www.nct.org.uk All the best and don't forget to book on to the Postnatal course as well!

NCT run Baby First Aid courses delivered by the Red Cross. Go on to the main NCT website: www.nct.org.uk and put in your postcode to find our where the nearest course is. All the best

The NCT have birth doulas contact www.nct.org.uk/doula or contact Alison:[email protected] All the best

Just reading through these posts it may be helpful to mention that hospitals have groups called Maternity Services Liaison Committee (MSLC's)who are there to consider women's recent experiences of giving birth at their hospital. The MSLC is made up of different user reps and hospital teams including head of Midwifery etc. As an NCT Practitioner I know there are NCT antenatal teachers and breastfeeding counsellors on these groups as well, in some hospitals they chair the regular MSLC meetings. If you want your experience noted and would like things raised at the MSLC please contact the hospital you gave birth in asking for information about the MSLC. In the NCT Postnatal courses that I run locally in SE22, SE5 and SE1 I frequently hear feedback about pregnancy, birth and early parenting issues. The NCT Postnatal courses offer an environment to explore how you feel about your birth experience (along with many other issues to do with early parenting) and I encourage new mums to think about their birth story and consider writing it out at some point. It is also good to ask any birth partners present at the birth to write out their version and then look at both accounts. It is also possible to ask for copies of your maternity records, many people are unaware of this, these make fascinating reading. Putting these different versions of the same experience together helps build a picture of what went on during the birth. Sometimes people want to discuss their birth with a midwife or with other hospital staff, this is also possible. There are also organisations that can help with difficult births e.g. The Birth Trauma Association (BTA), and for those who experience flashbacks it may be helpful to know that you can ask for help and support. For more information: www.nct.org.uk also details of postnatal courses etc

NCT in Beckenham have lots going on, check out their page on the NCT website: www.nct.org.uk They run Happy Mondays Playgroup term-time 10am at Beckenham Methodist Church, Bevington Rd, BR3 5JE Also Tea groups, postnatal courses, Nearly New Sales, Parties etc etc. Try: [email protected] Facebook: BeckenhamNCT

Group for 'ladies-in-waiting', and new parents (with their babies) at The Crooked Well SE5 Tuesdays: 10.30-12.00 Come along and enjoy excellent coffee, pastries and a chance to meet other new parents and parents-to-be. NCT information and other info available from NCT practitioner Pippa Brook Anyone coming?

NCT also run First Aid courses check out the main website: www.nct.org.uk for the nearest one.

Book now for next NCT Introducing Solids Workshop on April 4th in East Dulwich Workshops cover: signs of readiness, when to start solids, first foods, foods to avoid, books, information, ready-made foods, equipment, who is there to help, etc Suitable for parents of babies aged 4-5months, also suitable for grandparents and carers of children this age. These workshops are very popular and limited to a maximum of 8 adults and children, so do email for more info asap: [email protected] or go to the main NCT website: www.nct.org.uk to book on. Hope to see you soon,

Lovely to see over 18 mums and mums-to-be at The Crooked Well this morning (10.30-12.00). If you are free on Tuesdays the group meets for a coffee and pastry each week. NCT practitioner comes along on the first Tuesday of the month, so if you want to know more about the NCT antenatal, postnatal and refresher courses, or introducing solids workshops do come along or PM me. Lots of information and a chance to talk with other new parents and those expecting a baby. See you there soon?

There are some playmats and toys, but not so much for older siblings. How about coming along to see if it's going to work for you all? Even if you only come for part of it would be great to see you.

The Crooked Well Pub in SE5 have a lovely drop-in for parents and babies from 10.30-12.00 each Tuesday morning. Why not pop down and enjoy a lovely coffee and pastry? People who are expecting a baby are also welcome to come and meet others who are ladies-in-waiting too! Find out what is on in the local area and meet the NCT teacher who runs courses locally as well. Info on antenatal, postnatal and introducing Solids courses plus lots more. All welcome. See you there?

NCT run 2 types of Antenatal courses: 'Signature' and 'Essentials' courses Have a look on the main nct website for more details: www.nct.org.uk They also run Refresher courses for people having their second or subsequent babies and Postnatal courses as well as Introducing Solids workshops for when the babies are around 4-5 months old Waterbirth workshops are also available. Loads of different ways to meet new people and become connected to people especially if you are new to the area. All the best

Several titles of children's picture books have been useful to me both as a teacher and parent (having lost my sister when my children were young): When Uncle Bob Died- Illustrated by Sarah Wimperis Althea Books Badger's Parting Gifts- Susan Varley Waterbugs and Dragonflies- Doris Strickney Saying Goodbye-Ifeoma Onyefulu Beginnings and Endings and Lifetimes Inbetween- Bryan Mellonie and Robert Ingpen The Grandad Tree- Trish Cooke and Sharon Wilson I was also very moved when I discovered Michael Rosen's "Sad Book" (illustrated by Quentin Blake), and thanked him for writing it when I met him in school during a book week. It is about his own grief at the loss of his son. A powerful book, not one to give to the children, but to help connect with what we as adults feel when we experience loss. I agree with using straight-forward language when talking with young children about life and death, but am also aware that children only begin to understand about the permanence of death from around the age of 6, so this means you may be revisiting the whole question again and again, helping them to think things through and verbalise their feelings in age appropriate conversations. This is where a selection of books can come in handy as they understand things in new ways as they continue to grow up. Peace to all of you who have lost people close to you.

The NCT Introducing Solids workshops are now booking for Feb 25th. Suitable for parents of babies aged 4-5months. Workshops are on in SE5 in the morning and SE22 in the afternoon. 8 spaces available for the SE5 workshop and 3 for the SE22 one. Please email Alison for more info: [email protected] or contact me. In the past extra workshops have been put on to meet demand, so if you want to do a workshop with friends please message me here or contact Alison to discuss. More info on the main NCT website: www.nct.org.uk Hope to see you soon

Why not join us at The Crooked Well in SE5? Come and meet up with other parents and parents-to-be and enjoy the welcoming atmosphere of the pub. Refreshments are lovely and parking is easy in Morrison's car park. NCT worker will be there and will have info on other events to do in the area, plus a free bag of info on NCT stuff! See you there? 10.30-12.00

Contact Alison: [email protected] to book on to the NCT Introducing Solids Workshop on 13th Jan in East Dulwich. 2 Spaces left for this workshop. Next workshops: Feb 25th, Mar 7th, April 4th, May 2nd Suitable for parents/carers/grandparents/childminders. Come along if your child is aged 4-5 months to find out what the current guidelines are, and to get information and look at resources. Great opportunity to find out about baby-led weaning, first foods, what to look out for, what books and information are available. The workshop has a maximum of 8 adults, babies are welcome to attend, toys and refreshments available. Concessions apply, ask Alison for details or look on the main NCT website: nct.org.uk If you haven't started to think about introducing solids, or if you feel unsure what to do then this is the workshop for you. You are welcome to come if you have just started introducing solids too. Come and meet others at the same stage, it's another opportunity to get to know people in the area too. Why not ask your antenatal group if they have been along to a workshop yet, you could book on together to the workshop. Additional workshops can be scheduled if these ones fill up.

NCT 6 week Postnatal course starts on Jan 14th for all parents. Particularly good for those of you who are new to the area, or have had a big gap between children, then this may be the thing for you! There are 3 spaces left at the moment. Held in East Dulwich this is a great way to meet local parents with babies aged 0-8 months. The discussions are facilitated by the NCT Practitioner and cover topics such as sleeping, feeding, crying, relationships, birth debrief, work vs home etc. The next course is in March, additional dates can be arranged if necessary. Also look out for the NCT Introducing Solids Workshops. Dates for the one-off 2 hour workshops are: Jan 13th, Feb 25th, Mar 7th, Apr 4th, May 2nd, June 27th etc. pm me for more info or go to the main nct website: www.nct.org.uk All the best,

There are a couple of spaces left on the January NCT Postnatal course. This 6 week course starts on Jan 14th in East Dulwich and is perfect for people with babies aged 0-8 months. pm me for more info or go to: nct.org.uk and put in your postcode to find out where and when. All the best

The Crooked Well SE5 have a lovely space for parents and babies on a Tuesday morning. Anyone coming along tomorrow?

So nice to meet everyone this morning at the Crooked Well. It would be great to see you again soon. It was the first time for almost everyone, so if you want to join us just come along next Tuesday 10.30-12.00 It's easy to park in the Morrisons car park and just walk round the corner, suitable for mums-to-be and young babies. See you soon

Parent and Baby Group at The Crooked Well in SE5. 10.30-12.00 Fantastic pub, really welcoming to new parents. They set aside the pub for us to use, play mats, toys for little ones, food for adults and a really great space to be in on a cold wet October day! Just turn up, bring a friend or come along on your own.

Pop over to Beckenham for their Bump, Baby and Beyond Fair on Sat 5th Oct 2-5pm St. John's Church, Eden Park Ave, BR3 3JN Over 30 stalls and free taster sessions. ?1 entry Visit: www.nct.org.uk/branches/beckenham-borders/bump-baby-beyond-fair

Dates of upcoming NCT Introducing Solids Workshops: next one is Sept 20th, the following one is Oct 11th. Contact Alison to ask questions: [email protected] All the best